China’s emotional economy is on the rise

A giant inflatable Labubu toy floats on the water at Victoria Harbour on October 25, 2025 in Hong Kong, China. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images 28-year-old Rebecca Zhou, born in China’s Sichuan province, owns an assortment of Moomin merchandise — bags, mugs, and figurines featuring the white hippo-looking cartoon character from Finland…

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Netflix show causes food tourism increase

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – DECEMBER 17, 2025: Participants Jung Ho-young, Hudukjuk, Monk Sunjae, Son Jong-won, producers Kim Eun-ji and Kim Hak-min, Yoon Jumo Yoon Nara, French Papa, Chinese Cuisine Witch, and Baby Beast pose during a press conference for the Netflix series Culinary Class Wars: Black and White Chef Season 2 at JW Marriott Dongdaemun…

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Visits from China down 60% in January 2026

Visitors (L) dressed in kimonos look at photos they took during a visit to Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of central Tokyo on September 16, 2025. Richard A. Brooks | Afp | Getty Images After living in Tokyo for over a year, Karin Nordin noticed something peculiar. The hot spring towns of Kusatsu and…

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Travel stocks sink after thousands of flights grounded

A display board shows canceled flights to Dubai and Doha amid regional airspace closures at Noi Bai International Airport, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 2, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Thinh Nguyen | Reuters Airline and travel stocks slipped Monday after airspace closures throughout the Middle East forced…

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Top tech execs silent after latest ICE action

Demonstrators gather on Michigan Avenue during a heavy snowstorm to protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Chicago, US on January 25, 2026. Jacek Boczarski | Anadolu | Getty Images Some tech leaders are beginning to speak out after the shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in…

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